


Resilient is My Middle Name

by ForFun100



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: AKA my sweet child deserved to be a badass like the rest of them, Brave Jess is the best Jess, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Friendship, I know this game is three years old, I'm angry that Jess didn't get more play time, Jess and Em are friends okay?, Jess is everyone's friend, Romance, The usual suspects - Freeform, also yeah, and i love them, basically you're welcome, come for me, my children deserve the best, so I fixed it, they are friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 05:25:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14867462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForFun100/pseuds/ForFun100
Summary: Jess is alive, awake, and over this mountain's BS, so she's about to show it who's boss. Jess wakes up four hours before dawn, and this girl is not giving up without a fight.





	Resilient is My Middle Name

**Author's Note:**

> Based on Jess's starting stats where she's mostly funny, honest, and brave… yeah, I see that low charitable stat what about it?... It's life or death here okay!?

**3:20 Four Hours Until Dawn**

And she fell, down, down, down, further into hell; when she opens her eyes, she sees only a sliver of light above her. Numb and cold she takes every last ounce of strength within her to sit up, and it hurts to do so. She swallows thickly, taking in wherever the fuck she’s landed, trying to figure out how she’s getting out of this.

She remembers more than she wants to, not just the horrific fall; feeling like it would never end and the impact _fuck._ The instant of pain and then nothing, in that split second she’d only thought one word; dead. But she’s not dead, she’s awake and alert, she has to be if she’s going to get out of this; and she is getting out of this alive, damnit.

“Alright Jessie… You can do this.” She says, using every rusted metal bar in the vicinity to help her stand. But she does not make a sound aside from the grunting breath she has to let out. “Yep, definitely broke _something._ ” To hell if she isn’t scared shitless, but to hell if she’s not going to get herself out of this; _what’s that called? Survival instinct? Bullshit?_ She thinks limping over to the nearest post, she sees a dingy old jacket and doesn’t hesitate to throw it on. Walking around in one’s underwear isn’t exactly ideal for survival, and fashion isn’t exactly at the forefront of her mind currently. Or sanitation for that matter but whatever.

She hears something, _no not something that **thing** whatever the fuck it was, _screech from above. A shudder passes through her, despite her mouth hanging open she makes no sound. She remembers when that screech was right in front of her face, breath cold and pungent; like even if she did scream (and she _did_ scream) it would only be swallowed whole by that gaping fucking mouth.

She nods her head, and allows herself to breathe, gathers whatever is left of her courage and stands up straight. Only to curl back over herself when she hears the scraping of metal on metal, her heart hasn’t stopped racing since her phone broke through that window. Call it fear if you like, she’d prefer ‘tired of this shit’ but whatever you fancy. She presses on into the dark for some time walking forward despite the fear in her throat.

She runs into a table she couldn’t see in the dark, and imagines if she weren’t in agony she’d cry out at the contact; instead she feels around, fingers brushing against an oil lamp. _Finally something fucking useful,_ she continues to feel around until she finds a small pack of matches. Without a second to spare she lights it up and looks around the area.

“Alright, dark scary mines, awesome. Perfect. Couldn’t be better.” After convincing herself that the sarcasm gives her confidence she readies herself to continue through the mine. Until she notices a corpse right next to the table, every bit of her is on edge as she approaches it. Peering down, the familiar blue of her high school’s letterman shocks her into reality.

“Matt?” She asks, voice hushed as she approaches him, she is hesitant at first but then briefly shakes his shoulder. “Breathing… Still breathing. Oh, thank god. Matt? Can you hear me?”

He doesn’t move, not even a fluttering eye lid, sticking her tongue in her cheek she looks around. “God, alright big guy, let’s get you out of here.” Now admittedly, Jessica Riley is not the strongest, not by a long shot; in fact, she might do better just to drag his ass out of there. But she’s determined to carry him with her, Jess is a lot of things, but there’s no way she’s leaving any friend of hers in hell.

She manages to get him in a fireman’s carry, and Jesus fucking Christ it hurts to do so, still she presses on. Walking in the only logical direction, “What a sight are we, huh Matt?” She groans under his weight, “Tiny girl in flowery undies, carrying a fucking linebacker through an abandoned fucking mine. God they should put this in a movie, I’ll see if Josh can make it happen.”

Again, the screech of that monster breaks through the decrepit mine, Jess feels her heart freeze. “Fuck.” She murmurs, immediately dashing behind the nearest wall, there is no way she can outrun that _thing_ especially with her extra passenger. She hears it just behind her, remembers the way it broke through the door back at the cabin; the sound of the splintering wood and bone. Its long icicle fingers, and screech like wind ripping the bark off of trees, she’ll never forget the way it tossed her about as if she was nothing.

She hears it scamper away, and can’t fucking believe that worked, she waits for the silence; hears Matt’s breathing and counts as she lifts his body off the rotting wood. With his full weight back on her shoulders she meanders through the mine slowly, uncertain but determined.

Then she meets a wall of decomposing wood, the outside world just beyond. If she can muster enough strength, and at this point she isn’t sure she can; _No, you are Jessica Mother Fucking Riley you don’t just give up._ She lays Matt down on the mine cart tracks, and takes a deep breath at the relief of losing the extra weight. Gathering herself she bum rushes the wall, not only breaking through but nearly falling off the side of the goddamn mountain.

“Shit! Fuck!” She gasps, at the adrenalin and the sudden cold of ice on her bare feet. “Alright Jessica, you’re getting goddamn hypothermia accept it and move on.” She tells herself to (futilely) calm the beating of her heart. Turning back around to grab Matt she stops in her tracks, seeing that monster just above him, but for some reason it does not attack him. Instead it looks right up at her and stalks towards her.

For the first time she gets a good look at the torn frosty skinned beast, the spindly figure as if it is walking around on bone and nothing more. Its teeth like daggers and for a moment she swears she spots a butterfly trapped beneath its skin, but it must be a trick of the moonlight it has to be. She and the monster stare one another down, Jess’s resolve slowly fading as they lock eyes with one another. Paralyzed with fear she doesn’t even breathe, as its blind blue eyes scan over her body, it must be taunting her, filling her with fear before the killing blow.

The beast screams in her face, then without warning turns to continue down the mine as if it couldn’t even see her; Jess stands there waiting for the wind to drown out the memories of that godforsaken demon. _Get it together. Get it together. Get it fucking together._

All the while rippling winds pass through her, turns out even with a jacket it’s still cold as balls on this mountain. Her injuries start to make themselves known, her cuts beginning to pulse; bruises and broken bones screaming inside of her body. She takes mental stock of it all, from the splitting headache to the ringing of her ears, to the blood on the tips of her braids down to the stiffness of her freezing feet.

She shakes herself back into reality, the cold is starting to burn and that’s no good, “Come on Matt, let’s get the fuck out of here.” She shudders once more as she steps back into the mine for a moment. Reveling in her last few moments without wind chill for a while yet, she pulls the football player over her shoulders and slowly but surely starts heading down the mountain.

Once again, she takes to counting Matt’s breath over the whipping winds, and chattering teeth; despite the fact that all of this is _fucking bullshit_ she keeps going. There’s just not another goddamn option at this point.

 

 

**4:32 Three Hours Until Dawn**

She has been walking forever, and part of her wants to die; to give up and lie in the snow succumbing to the sleepiness and pain. Yet she does not do this, if not for herself, for Matt she’ll be damned if he doesn’t get back, due to her lack of willpower.

Then she thinks of her mother smiling ever so softly at her, “Take care of yourself, Jessie, I made you from scratch. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.” Every fucking time Jess wanted to go off and do some dumb thing; Mama Riley would give her that look, the one that said it all without a word. _‘I’ll let you go, but don’t fuck it up. You’re a big girl, I trust you, but don’t you go forgetting who brought you into this world.’_

Jess scolds herself for even thinking of dying now, “Daddy didn’t raise no quitter, and mom would bring you back to life just to kill you herself.” She manages the words despite the chattering teeth and rigidness of her body. This small sentiment spurs her just a little bit further, she wonders about the others. If Sam, Josh, Chris, and Ashley knew about the monster. And what the fuck about Em? Matt couldn’t have been down in those mines alone. Had something happened to her?

Jess feels a pang of guilt, wondering if Em was nearby and she didn’t even fucking notice. She just has to hope that isn’t the case… And Mike, fuck, what happened to Mike? He came for her, ran after her kidnapped ass like a real hero. How far did he go to look for her? Was he searching the mine for her? Did he know she was alive?

“Probably not, Jessie, you barely knew you were alive.” She probably shouldn’t be wasting her breath talking to herself like this. Already winded from carrying Matt, she shouldn’t be acting like this is all some kind of sick joke. At the same time, she needs something to keep her sane and it’s always been humor before.

Like the time her cousin broke her arm at the playground when they were kids; her brother had to run back home to get their parents and Jess had to keep her from panicking. She made all sorts of shitty jokes only a six-year-old could possibly find funny. But it kept Lauren still and calm until help arrived, so that had to count for something.

Or when the twins went missing last year, she kept up hope with as much humor as she could manage. Although now, knowing there’s a monster, it must have gotten to Hannah and poor Beth who did nothing but try to fix the mess, Jess herself had created.

“Wow, I’m going to hell.” Jess breathes out heavily, continuing her trek. She and Beth had been close, really close; sharing crayons in the third grade, skipping gym in middle school, ditching their first high school party in favor of Starbucks halfway through kind of close. Knowing what kind of monster she must have faced alone… The thought cuts deeper than the claws of the beast, and if she ever gets out of this, _I don’t know how, but I’ll make this right, Bethy._

Finally, the lodge comes into view, just a little bit further and she’s in the clear. Real clothes, a fire, and safety in numbers. If there was anyone else there, if the rest of them were safe, fuck there were so many fucked up possibilities at this point.

She gets to the door and almost cries, ramming her foot into the door a few times to act as a knock. Nobody comes, the lights are off and holy shit, Jess is losing hope fast; but damn it if she’s not going to try. She’s come this fucking far, to give up now is unthinkable, so overcome with a fresh surge of adrenaline she backs up and braces herself for the swiftest karate kick she’s ever preformed in her whole life.

“Oh FUCK!” She hears people scrambling, but can’t see them. Until she locks eyes with a petrified red head stuck where she stands near the side door.

“Jessica?” Ashley asks, voice high pitched in surprise and disbelief.

“Ash?” Jess feels a smile melt across her face, sure, the girl is covered in blood and has a black eye. But fuck she’s alive. “Shit is it good to see you.”

“Jessica!?” Mike climbs the last of the stairs leading up from the basement. He looks rough, not as rough as Jess feels but he’s here and he’s alive.

“Matt?” Emily peaks up from behind a couch, shock plain in her voice.

“Jessica! I can’t fucking believe it.” Mike has her in his arms so tightly she feels like she can’t breathe. “How are you alive?”

“Magic.” She smiles, seeing Sam approach with the other two girls.

“Questions later. Basement now.” Sam says reaching behind Jessica to close the door she’d broken open.

“Help me with him.” Jess says, slipping a still unconscious Matt onto his feet. Mike takes the majority of his weight and begins to help her down to the basement.

“You saved him.” Emily says breathlessly.

“Of course, I did.” Jess manages another smile at her former best friend. Emily looks shocked and contemplative but says nothing until they’re down in the basement, and Matt is laid out on one of the tables. Sans Ashley, Jess is finally able to get a good look at her friends; Sam looks fresh besides a messed up knee she’s practically immaculate as per usual.

Em is covered in cuts and bruises, the one above her eye is especially gnarly, but she’s still fucking standing; Em always was a boss. In this light she can see bruises and cuts littering Matt’s face, but he looks rather untouched other than the dirt on him. And Mike, looks beautiful scabbing cuts and all, she isn’t sure she’s ever loved him more. If her heart weren’t palpitating in fear, she’s sure it’d skip a beat for him.

“You must be freezing, is there a blanket or something down here for her?” Mike asks Sam as he begins to button up Jess’s coat, he looks so concerned and relieved at the same time; she isn’t sure that it’s possible for her to love him anymore than she does now.

“There’s that stupid monk costume Chris wore so maybe.” Sam says immediately beginning to search for something.

Em is standing over Matt looking at him with such a tenderness it can’t possibly be faked. Part of the gang had thought Emily only started dating Matt to spite Mike; whether or not that’s true there’s obviously some genuine care in her. Not that Jess is surprised, Emily’s just that kind of girl. The kind that doesn’t know how to express her emotions. Well except for pissed off, that one she has down.

Mike wraps Jess up in his arms, kissing her forehead as he strokes her blood crusted hair. “I’m so happy you’re safe, Jess.”

“Me too, tough guy.” Jess manages a chuckle for the first time in hours, the sound is unfamiliar and stale. Barely palpable even as it leaves her mouth.

“No blanket, but there were a few costumes. Go figure right?” Sam returns with a pair of pants that are unidentifiable in what they’re meant for, and a tee shirt with the movie poster for one of Josh’s dad’s films.

“I’ll take anything, honestly.”

“I feel you girl. I was in the same boat not too long ago.” Sam says.

“Excuse me?” Jess asks taking the clothing from her friend.

“Oh, shit you don’t know…” Sam sighs.

“Know what?” Jess asks turning towards Mike.

“Get changed hon, we’ll explain as soon as we get you more warmed up.” He promises.

“Oh my god!” Ashley and Chris come barreling into the room, Ash closing the door as hard as she can and locking it. The two of them are winded but that doesn’t stop Chris from noticing.

“Jess!? You’re alive!?”

“Barely breathing, but still holding on.” She smiles as Ashley runs into her. So hard in fact that Jess falls to the floor and the breath is stolen straight from her body only an airy, “Fuck.” Falls out of her lips.

“Shit, Jessica! I’m so sorry, are you okay!?” Ashley is sobbing, and Jessica is trying to get her sight back, the pain is so fierce.

“Get off of her, what are you doing!” Mike practically pulls Ashely off of Jessica’s body.

“Are you okay?” Emily is kneeling beside her, and Jess can’t even process the shock of that.

“I uh, definitely broke a rib, or like five. But it’s cool.” She tries to catch her breath and it is nearly impossible to do so.

“I am so sorry, Jessica.” Ashley says tearfully.

“Not your fault, I’d be happy to see me too.” Jess sits up but feels her vision swirl as she does so.

“Jess, Jess! Are you okay? You should lie back down.” Mike says trying and failing to quell the panic in his voice.

“I need to change.” She says, beginning the agonizing process of trying to pull on pants. Her feet feel like frozen bricks and she has to tug the fabric on while lying down. But once they’re on the warmth is almost immediate.

Mike helps her get the shirt on when he sees her struggling with the pants, and she’s grateful she doesn’t have to ask.

“Did you lock the door?” Sam asks Chris.

“Yeah.” He says breathlessly, still staring at Jess as if she isn’t real, he’s also limping which is concerning for Jess. Ashley can’t stop crying, and Jess once again observes that she’s covered in blood coupled with a black eye.

Jess can’t help herself and asks, “What happened to you? Did it get you too?” Mike takes a second from doting on Jess to glance at Ashley.

“I… Oh fuck Jess it was so awful.” Ashley starts blubbering again as she explains there was a maniac after them, and how much she’d suffered through the night.

“So now we have that monster and a madman after us?” Jess interrupts Ashley’s story because she isn’t sure how much more of this she can fucking take. And Josh being dead?

“No, Jess honey. It’s okay, it was just Josh pulling a stupid prank. Nothing else is coming after us.” Mike promises, cupping her cheek gently so not to hurt or startle her.

“Josh?” Jess barely breathes his name.

“He went off the deep end… But he didn’t want to hurt us.” Chris defends his best friend.

“If he’s not here, where is he?”

No one says anything, and Jess doesn’t know how she feels about their silence; part of her wants to keep it as such, the other wants to scream.

“What happened to Josh?”

“I though he killed you, Jess, okay we… We didn’t know about the wendigo.” Mike says.

“The what?”

“That monster, the one that took you, and tried to get me.” Emily elaborates.

“Oh my god.” Jess feels like she can barely breathe. “It got him.”

“I tried to… I tried.” Chris starts crying, Jess isn’t sure she’s ever seen him cry before, the sight is eerie and painful.

“We can’t worry about that right now.” Emily says, “We have to think about what we’re going to do if that thing comes back.” Mike has taken to trying to warm up Jess’s feet, it scares her how little of it she can feel.

“I can’t believe you’re suggesting that we just leave Josh out there with that monster.” Chris says.

“What are you going to do? You heard that weird guy, right? They’re invincible.” Emily folds her arms glaring at Chris.

“What happened to that guy anyway?” Sam asks Chris.

“It-…it got him, decapitated him right in front of me.” Chris shakes his head, lifting up his glasses so that he can wipe his eyes.

“Fuck.” Emily barely utters the word.

“Well we can’t do nothing, we need another way out if that fucker finds us.” Mike says.

“Mike... I really don’t think that’s a good idea. We should stay put, right here, until dawn.” Sam says definitively. “At least we’re safe down here.”

“That’s two hours from now, and in that time we’ll be sitting ducks for another attack.” Mike argues, still pressing warmth into Jess’s feet. She can feel the pulse again, so that’s good for something.

“No, we’re all here now, Jess is hurt, Matt is unconscious… we need to stick together.” Ashley says weakly.

“Yeah and we’ll die together if we’re not careful.” Jess puts her hand on Mike’s shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. He looks at her with soft eyes and kisses her hand.

“We might die if we are careful.” Jess says, “What are you willing to risk?”

“Hey, look at this.” Em waves over Sam, Mike stands up and walks towards her as well. “It’s some of that weird guys stuff. Look at all of this a map of the mines… That’s where I was and it was like it’s lair or something.”

“It’s lair?”

“Yeah…” Em shudders, “I saw some horrible stuff down there… That must be where it lives.”

Ash walks over to Jess as the others talk, and gives her a gentle hug this time. “I’m so happy you’re safe.”

Jess revels in the warmth of Ashley’s arms and squeezes her as tightly as she can before asking. “Help me up?”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Ashley pauses for a moment and then helps Jess to her feet, the process is agonizing for Jess but she bites her lip to keep from crying out. If the monster, _that wendigo,_ is still a threat she needs to be at least fucking mobile. Chris limps over to her and gives her a hug, tight and clumsy but genuine, as Ash goes to check out the map.

“You okay?” Jess asks.

“It won’t kill me like the guilt.” Chris says tightly.

“Yeah… I know what you mean.” She says helping him back to the stool he had claimed earlier.

“Em… Em what is that?” Ashley asks covering her mouth as she backs away.

“Huh?” Emily asks softly.

“What _is_ that?” Ashley asks again panic rising among the teens. “Em! Oh my god, oh my god! Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no!”

“It’s nothing, it just bit me.” Em defends herself.

“It bit you? What bit you!?” Ashley demands.

“The… The wendigo.”

“The what?” Mike asks in disbelief.

“It’s nothing, really it’s not a big deal.” Emily defends herself.

“You okay?” Sam asks, voice ridged and uncertain.

“Shit.” Mike says stepping away from her.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore, really. It’s not that bad.” Emily starts to back away too, panic plain in her gaze.

“Em if that thing bit you-”

“I know what you’re thinking, and I’m fine.”

“Are you?” Mike demands.

“Yes.” Emily insists.

“Let us check it out.” Sam says still uncertain but calm at the least.

“Emily, if the wendigo bit you… you could turn into one of those things.”

“Mike don’t be ridiculous.” Sam says.

“He said it was from eating each other, remember he said that!” Ashley says frantically.

“Wait is that how it worked?” Sam asks.

“Yes!” Ashley says resolutely. Jess glances at Chris who has covered his face and looks as though he’s trying to block out the rest of the world. But Jess herself is too scared to do the same as Ash continues. “It happens if it bit you, you’re gonna turn into one and then you’re going to turn on us. Oh my god! Oh my god! OH MY GOD!”

Jess watches helplessly as Mike approaches Em, “You can’t stay down here with us.”

“What!?” Em asks.

“Mike?” Sam asks as well.

“You have to go.”

“Are you kidding me?” Emily stresses every syllable.

“You’re putting us all in danger.” Mike says firmly.

“Like hell I am!”

“Emily… You can’t stay here.”

“Mike, just cool your head okay? We don’t know if it works like that, it could just be a bite.” Sam tries to quell the argument.

“I’ve seen what those fuckers can do.” Chris says suddenly, voice low and defeated. “I don’t want to see it again.”

“What is this, guys what are you doing?” Em asks desperately.

“Door’s right there, I am letting you do this voluntarily.” Mike’s voice is cold as ice.

“Oh no, you’re just making yourself feel better about sending me to my death out there since you know, there’s a wendigo out there ready to rip me to pieces like it did with-”

“Okay! Oh my god, will you just go!?” Ashley’s voice has an edge to it that gives Jess a shiver down her spine, not just panic, but sheer survival instinct. “Go! Get out of here!”

Mike pulls out a gun, where he got that shit from Jess doesn’t know, but she also doesn’t have time to care.

“Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa- Mike calm down.” Sam tries to put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re going to shoot me? Mike, me!?” Emily cowers away from him, fear plain in her gaze.

“This is the saferoom, Em!” His voice is harsh and desperate.

“Please!”

“It’s not safe as long as you’re in it. Not for us.”

“No! Don’t do this!”

 Jess finally can’t take it anymore and says firmly, “No one is shooting anyone, and no one is turning into anything.”

“Jess you didn’t hear that guy! Oh my god she’s going to turn into a wendigo and eat us!” Ashley is practically falling apart before them all.

“No, she’s not! She said she’s fine, so she’s fine! Fuck, we’re not turning against each other now.” Jess says, her head is fuzzy, but she’s not about to let Em die here. “Put the gun down, Michael.”

Mike looks at Jess his hands are shaking, he doesn’t want to do it. He’s not capable of shooting anyone, so Jess puts a hand over the barrel and lowers it herself. “She’s fine, alright?” He looks down and furrows his brow before shaking his head and covering his face.

Jess walks up to Emily and takes her hands, “You’re fine, you’re going to be okay.”

In a moment of overwhelming emotion, Em wraps Jess up in a hug and lets out a singular sob, “Thank you.”

Jess nearly melts inside, “You’re going to be okay, we’re going to make it through this.”

Emily grips the fabric of Jess’s coat and the two of them stay there for another heartbeat, until the rustling around the room brings them back. Jess leaning heavily against the table Em is climbing off of to go look back over Matt.

Jess feels the world start to fade back out, but she’s afraid to faint; what will happen if she does? Will they turn back on Em? Will she ever wake up if she falls asleep now? _Stay awake Jess come on,_ she thinks to herself gripping the table in front of her. Mike has walked up behind her, hugging her waist as he kisses her neck, “You okay?”

She says nothing, more scared of the world fading away than anything else. His grip tightens around her, sending pain throughout her body, but he is the one taking in a deep breath as he turns around to face the rest of the group.

“Alright, we’ve got to get out of this mess.” Mike resolves.

“And how are we going to do that?” Sam asks.

“Yeah, there’s no key to the cable car.” Emily says.

“Josh he’s got to have it.”

“But that thing has him.” Ashley says.

“Em, where did you say that lair was?” Mike storms back over to the map of the mines.

Jess’s vision starts to flash, she sees her hands on the warped table, she glances at Matt still sprawled beside her and out cold. Then there’s a burst of pain in her elbow and she’s on the ground, blinking rapidly to keep herself conscious.

“Oh my god! Jess!” Mike is back by her side shaking her shoulder demanding, “Jess, stay with me okay!?”

She hears herself breathing as she fades away, willing her body not to give up, just a little rest. That’s all this is, _please god._

“Jess!?” Mike shakes her again.

“Mike, it’s fine, she’s still breathing look.” Sam assures him, voice lilted as she too calms back down from the sudden burst of panic.

“Fuck.” He whispers harshly. “I have to get us out of here, I’m not letting Jessica die because we sat here waiting for help.”

“So what the fuck are you going to do?” Em asks.

“I'm gonna get that key. Right from thing's goddamned bedroom, and then I'm gonna get us all the hell out of here.” Mike walks back over to the map and makes sure he knows what he’s talking about, “No one leave. Okay? It's not safe out there. I'll be back soon.”

And with that he’s gone from the room leaving the rest of them to do…absolutely nothing but wait. Sam starts helping Emily with the two unconscious teens, while Chris tries to gather himself. Ashley however, starts reading through that old guy’s journal giving her friends little side notes as she reads.

“This guy's a little OCD… There's a lot of history to this. This says that because the Wendigos are... mutated... from humans... when they hunt us they know how to perfectly mimic their prey...” Then she comes across the next passage all about a bite from the beast, “Oh.... Oh no no no no no.”

Sam looks up from Matt’s body, “What? What is it? what does it say?”

Ashley fumbles to get the words out, “It says that... well... the bites... if it bites you... it's not infectious. It doesn't do anything.”

“Let me see that!” Sam is up by her side in an instant grabbing the book from Ashley’s hands.”

“I'm sorry what did you say?” Emily asks, voice low and harsh.

“Em, it says you'll be okay...”

“You're going to be fine.” Sam reassures her.

“Fine?! Mike almost shot me? Is that fine?!”

“He didn't shoot you-”

“And this bitch almost let him!” Emily stands pointing her finger at Ashley, who has resumed crying once more.

“Hey! That's not fair! She was scared-”

“I'm the one who's scared.” Emily says nearing the other two girls.

“We’re all scared Em, she didn’t know give her a break.” Chris stands up.

“She almost got me killed!”

“I'm sorry... I'm sorry Emily... I didn't know what was going to happen... None of us knew!” Ashley blubbers between sobs.

“There's- There's no excuse! There's no excuse for this! If Jess weren’t here you would have let him kill me!”

“Please, Emily, please just try to understand-”

“Understand the palm of my hand, bitch.” Emily slaps Ashley, the red head whimpers at the contact and absorbs the moment. She deserves that slap, how does she keep almost getting people killed? She can’t help but ask herself.

“I'm sorry... I'm so so so so sorry...”

“You feel better Em?” Chris asks.

“Better? No!... Fuck man.” Emily folds her arms over her chest glancing back at Matt and Jess, the only two people on this whole fucking mountain who want her to live. And they’re both out cold. Perfect.

“Shit. Shit-shit-shit... We've got to get to Mike, like now!” Sam says suddenly. “Come on.”

“Hey we’re not fucking leaving Matt and Jess, alone.” Emily says.

“Fine you stay with them then. Chris, Ash, let’s go.” Sam starts down the same path Mike took. Ashley hesitates as Chris starts to meander towards the exit.

“I’m sorry Emily… I don’t know how else to say it.” Ashley takes Chris’s hand and the two of them follow after Sam back into the mines.

 

 

**5:45 Two Hours Until Dawn**

Emily sits alone in the basement and she keeps agonizing over the two unconscious bodies of her friends. Making sure they’re breathing, warming up their hands, at one point she slips off her boots so she can give Jess her socks, something so that her feet are protected should they need to run again. She broods over Mike too, the fact that he thought about shooting her; _would he have done it had Jess not called him out?_

Matt doesn’t look too bad, and she is so fucking grateful for that; she’d been such a bitch all day because she’d been on edge. With the whole anniversary thing, and Mike being with Jess; and as per fucking usual it had to be all about her struggle. Knowing what she knows now… She feels like crap for how she acted. One year ago, and just a few hours ago.

She hears the door open and actually screams, thinking it’s way too soon for anyone to be back just yet.

“Emily, calm down it’s just us.” Ashley says.

“What the fuck!?” Emily asks, barely able to keep up her composure.

“We had to turn around, Chris couldn’t go on anymore.”

Chris doesn’t look good, he’s pale and limping like he’s in true agony. Emily wonders briefly what happened to him that’s so rough, but decides she’s not one to judge. They’re all going through the goddamn ringer right now.

“How are the patients?” Chris asks taking a seat at the desk.

“Still out, still breathing.” Em says folding her arms over her chest.

“Half of that statement was good.” He responds.

“Yeah.” Emily says softly.

“I heard Jessica.” Ashley says, “Well not her… That Wendigo… It used her voice, but for a second it was so real I… I almost believed it.”

Emily ignores that, looking at Jess’s battered face, all the cuts and bruises, she hopes to god those clear up. Jess is a bitch, but she’s Emily’s bitch…

“Em, you’re not still mad about-”

“Ashley, shut the fuck up.” Em sighs.

“I am so sorry.”

“You wanted me dead.” Emily glares at Ashley.

“I didn’t want you to die-”

“Yes you did, you wanted me dead!”

“I’m so scared Emily! I just want to get off this mountain and be safe! I’m so sorry… So, so, so, so, so sorry.” Ashley begins to cry again, and Emily just watches her dissolve before her. She tries to ignore the pang of guilt in her chest, but it becomes too overwhelming.

“Fuck, stop crying already, would you?” Emily picks up Ashley from where she’d collapsed, “Don’t make me slap you again alright? You need to buck up, put on your big girl pants, and get your head into survival mode. You wanna get off this mountain? Start acting like it.”

Ashley nods, lunging forward for a hug, which Emily reluctantly takes part of, patting her back awkwardly. “How are you so brave?”

“Because I’m making it off this fucking mountain.” Em says.

Ashley sniffs heading back towards Chris, taking his hand and leaning her head on his. Emily wishes Matt were conscious so she could find comfort in him, instead she turns back to the two still lying on the tables. And watches their breathing.

 

 

**6:24 One Hour Until Dawn**

Matt’s head is killing him when he wakes up, and he’s terrified that he has no idea where the fuck he is. Still he opens his eyes, only to see Emily staring down at him.

“Matt? Are you okay? Can you hear me?” She asks trying to keep the panic down in her voice.

“Em? You’re… You’re okay? Where are we?”

“Oh, thank god you’re awake.” Her voice cracks as she leans down to hug him. He takes in her scent, blood and soot, a million questions fill his mind as he hears somebody else join them. “I thought you were dead, oh my god, Matt you gave me a heart attack.”

“Matt?” It’s Ashley, still looking like hell, but alive. “You’re back at the lodge, we’re in the basement. You’re safe.”

“For now.” Chris mutters lowly.

“The lodge? How did I get back to the lodge?” Matt asks, still holding on to Em as he sits up.

“Jess brought you back.” Emily says.

“Jess?” He looks around the room to find the girl in question, unconscious and more than a little worse for wear. “Holy fuck, she looks like hell.”

“She got attacked-”

“By that… thing or the killer?” Matt asks.

“The monster.” Emily responds, “By the way, no killer, just Josh pulling a stupid prank. All we have to worry about are those monsters… wendigos.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Yeah, Mike and Sam went to go find Josh, hopefully they’ll be back soon, it’s almost dawn.” Ashley says.

“Dawn… the rescuers are still coming, right?” Matt asks.

“We think so.” Emily says softly. “Shit Matt, I am so sorry-”

Matt threads his fingers through Em’s hair and pulls her in for a kiss, “Don’t be, we’re safe that’s all that matters.”

“I’m glad you’re safe man.” Chris says not standing up to greet him, but smiling as sincerely as he can muster.

“You alright, dude?” Matt asks him.

“Define alright.”

“That’s fair.” Matt shrugs still holding Emily. “How the fuck did Jess get me here?”

“She carried you, I guess. She kicked down the door with you slung over her shoulders.” Ashley says.

“Like a fucking champ.” Emily adds, and Matt can’t hide his shock at Emily’s praise of Jess. “She’s been through some shit, Mike said she fell down a fucking mine shaft.”

“So, did we.” Matt reminds her.

“I fucking know that, but she didn’t have a fire tower to help break the fall.” Em says more harshly than she wanted to.

“I hope Sam and Mike are okay.” Ashley says.

“Where are they?” Matt asks.

“They went after Josh…” Ashley can barely stay still as she speaks, pacing back and forth to keep herself moving.

“Why did they go after Josh? He sounds like asshole of the year.”

“He is.” Emily says, “Probably just so they’re doing something instead of waiting around, I don’t fucking know.”

“Josh has the cable car key, Mike went to get it.” Ashley walks back over to Chris but stays standing, rocking back and forth on her heels anxiously.

“Wait where is Josh then?” Matt asks.

“The… The wendigo got him.” Ashley can barely say its name.

“Oh fuck.” Matt says softly.

“Mhm…” Jess feels like the world around her is altogether too much, too cold and loud. Everything fucking hurts, she doesn’t know if she can go on, but at least she’s awake.

“Jess? Jessica?”

“Matt?”

“Fucking thank god you’re awake.” Emily says as Ashley comes to Jess’s aid.

“Yeah, but that’s about it.” Jess admits tiredly.

“Can you sit up?” Ashley asks her.

“I don’t know.”

“Try, you need to be able to run if… if…” Ashley can’t finish that thought, it’s almost too much to bear.

“Fuck me.” Jess closes her eyes again fighting against her overwhelming emotions, to keep calm.

“Did you really save me Jess?” Matt asks her, voice soft and small.

“Yeah, only workout I’m doing all year.” Jess jokes before letting Ash help her sit up; it is agonizing and she cries out at the motion.

“You’re alright Jess.” Ashley tries to comfort her, letting the other girl lean into her blood-stained jacket in exhaustion.

“Move.” Emily says taking Jess’s hands in hers, “Come on, Jess, you need to pull through this.”

Matt is in so much shock at Emily actually helping Jessica, he almost doesn’t hear the screech of the wendigo outside the locked door.

“Fuck!” Chris shouts, standing up and opening the door to the lodge. Matt and Ashley are right behind him, as Matt looks back he sees Emily practically dragging Jess out of the saferoom; and claws breaking through the door.

“Let’s go come on!” Matt waits for the two of them to pass him. Jess finally regains her footing and is able to run with Emily. Just as the wendigo breaks through Matt throws the door closed and runs after the others.

He barely notices he passes by Sam and Mike as he rushes out of the basement and into the lodge. Only once he’s up the stairs and turns towards the back exit, he sees the others standing still as can be, staring just above Matt’s head.

He dares a glance back only to lock eyes with that creature… That wendigo. _FUCK!_ Matt hadn’t gotten a chance to look at it when he had initially encountered the beast. Now looking at this monster, he can’t believe how fucking surreal it is.

Both Mike and Sam rush up the stairs stopping in their tracks the moment they seen the monster, with Mike saying in a low growl, “Don’t move, don’t move a fucking muscle.”

When the monsters from the basement emerge, Matt turns his head just enough to see Chris and Ashley holding hands as they rush out of the lodge. Em has her hand gripping Jess’s bicep and is pulling her slowly, inching her towards the exit. Matt decides to do the same, taking slow steps, barely even moving as he goes.

Jess thought she was over this bullshit hours ago, but this fucking takes the cake, watching two wendigos fight it out like that… Fuck. _Fuck._ Emily has her walking slowly towards the door and she feels like she’s going to collapse at any goddamn moment. So tired and scared, she can’t even allow herself more than an occasional short breath.

Then that beast decapitates the other, like it’s ripping a fucking sheet of paper in half instead of a head from a body; and tosses it aside like garbage. Suddenly it’s screaming again, approaching Sam at a decrepit pace, while Emily, Jess, and Matt watch uselessly.

Mike distracts the beast somehow, and Emily takes the opportunity to shove Jess out the door quickly following afterwards.

“Oh god…” Jess chokes out falling into the snow.

“Thank god you guys are alright.” Ashley says, Chris still holding her shoulder.

“Should we run? What do we do?” Chris asks, at a loss.

“We wait.” Emily says resolutely.

“Wait!? That monster is inside the lodge as we fucking speak!” Chris looks at her in disbelief.

“Mike’s got a plan… He always does. Besides, Matt and Sam are still in there.” Emily protests.

“Well if they die, we’re next out here!” Chris argues.

“Look.” Jess says softly head tilted towards the sky. “Dawn’s breaking.”

“We stay here.” Emily says firmly.

As that argument is happening outside, Matt watches as Sam bravely brings attention to herself.

“Hey!” She shouts at it, angry and merciless in her tone. Matt is able to get close enough to the door to make a run for it, and run he does right out into the snow.

“Matt!” Emily shouts and he practically topples over her. “Fuck Matt get off of me.”

“Sorry, I-” She cuts him off with a kiss which she pulls back from breathlessly.

“We’re not in the clear yet.” Emily returns her attention to Jess, helps her sit up so she can see the lodge. Ashley grasps at Jess’s hand, and Matt puts both of his hands on Emily’s shoulders as they wait in silence for something to happen.

They see Mike’s figure standing in the doorway, waiting for something.

“Come on Mike!” Ashley shouts at him desperately.

His head whips around to look at them and then back into the lodge, he chooses to rush out of the building and falls to his knees before Jess.

“Cover your ears!” He says and the others barely do so before the lodge erupts into flames, blasting Sam face first into the snow. Mike is holding Jess in seconds, kissing her all over as Matt jumps up to make sure Sam is okay. Matt puts out the few flickering flames on Sam’s back and she rolls over to look at him.

“Fuck this.” She says.

“You’ve got that right.” Matt agrees, glancing up at the pinking sky, dawn has never been so beautiful before. He has never been so tired and grateful in his whole fucking life. None of them have.

Jess feels herself fading again, but hears the sound of helicopter blades and starts crying. Because fuck whatever else this night has been, they’re safe all of them. Mike who’s holding her like his very life depends on it, Emily who’s squeezing her shoulders, and Ashley who’s holding her hand. They fucking made it. Nothing else matters now, they survived this, they can survive anything.

 

 

**12:00 That Day**

They all decide that the park rangers are full of shit, after hours of gathering statements down at the ranger’s station at the base of the mountain; they are finally loaded up in a few ambulances and taken to the nearest hospital. The hospital should be about a forty-five minute drive away, but the ambulances blare their sirens and get them there in under twenty.

Chris gets crutches, Em gets stitches, and Jess is a whole fucking mess. Internal bleeding, three fractured ribs, spinal cord injury, severe hypothermia, and a concussion. In short, she’s fucked. But she’s alive and that’s all she can manage to give a shit about.

The hospital staff has her taking a hot shower, to clean her wounds and get the caked blood away so they can find the real damage. She watches the water until it finally runs clean and clear, it’s almost therapeutic, and the warmth is absolutely blissful. Apparently human beings aren’t supposed to reach 80 degrees, which is the doctor’s rough estimate of how low her body temperature reached. By some stroke of luck she’s managed to not get frost bite, only the beginnings of it in her toes, but the socks kept it from developing. When did she get socks?

She gets treatment, drugs for the pain, and a referral for when she gets back home so the doctors there know about her mild internal bleeding.

“Your lower than normal body temperature might have actually saved you.” One of the nurses says with a chuckle, “The cold helped clot your blood faster, so your body was able to put a stop on those bleeds.”

“Oh… good.” Jessica sighs, “Falling down a mine shaft in my underwear was good for something after all.”

The nurse’s smile fades and she all but stops writing as she turns to look at Jess. The hospital staff knew that she’d had a bad fall, but they didn’t know specifics of what had happened. Something about police investigation confidentiality, but Jess feels an uncomfortable scrutiny under her gaze all of a sudden; so she does what she always does.

“You ah… checked for tetanus and sepsis right?” She jests.

“I’ll go get that tetanus shot.” The nurse says, trying to bring a comforting tone back into her voice.

Jess has unknowingly brought a whole new slew of tests upon herself, but she comes out clean on all of them. Miraculously she’s being released same day, as soon as her body temperature raises enough for her to be considered stable.

 

 

6: **00 That Evening**

The police are absolute shit heads, or so the group has dubbed them each in their own little ways; Mike when they come to ask him a third time about the sanitorium, and their tone suggests they don’t believe him. Emily when they try to ask what bit her, but only offer up options like; a bear, a wolf, or a fucking badger. Jess when they ask _who_ pulled her through the door, and not what. Sam when they ask if she can point out to them where she left Josh. Chris when they don’t seem to believe that the stranger was a good guy. Ashley when they just don’t understand that Josh never meant to kill anyone.

But Matt loses it when he asks to see his friends.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Taylor, you’re not allowed to speak with them until we’ve interviewed all of you.”

“What? Why!?” Matt’s voice nearly goes shrill.

“Standard protocol.”

“For fucking what?!”

“We don’t want witnesses sharing stories, it clouds their perception of what really happened.”

“I haven’t seen them in hours, please just tell me if they’re alright.”

“What happened after you fell into the mine?”

“Tell me they’re alive at least.” Matt says desperately, he feels his heartrate start to go erratic.

“Sir, we need you to stay calm-”

“They recorded my fucking statement back at the ranger’s station, just take that and let me see my friends.”

“We need to ask you again for our records, and for consistency’s sake -”

“Is Emily okay? Is Jess alive- have you found Josh!?” Suddenly he’s hyperventilating and one of the police officers is trying to calm him down rather unsuccessfully. They have to wait out his panic until it has subsided and left him shaking.

“As soon as we finish up here we can leave and you’ll be allowed to see them, just stay with us.”

Matt nods mutely, so angry he doesn’t want to breathe, like a child throwing a tantrum.

“What happened after you fell into the mines?”

 

 

**8:00 That Night**

True to their word the cops let each of the kids go as soon their interrogations are through; and they all sit in the main lobby of the hospital wondering what the fuck to do now. They have nowhere to go really, their long weekend is supposed to end tomorrow, had things gone according to plan. Their flights are in the morning and once again they’re practically stranded.

One by one they call their parents, an endless string of, “I’m fine… Everything’s okay… It’s not so bad… I love you… I’ll be home tomorrow.” They all feel so lucky that the police are calling the Washington’s, none of them are sure they could handle that. Especially after talking to their own parents, hearing the fear in their voices was unbearable; how could any of them handle telling the Washington’s their only living child is lost to the wilderness?

It’s Emily who decides they should try to find a room to stay at for the night, a motel even if it will get them out of this fucking hospital. There’s a Holiday Inn just a few streets over from the Hospital, and Emily books them a room without an ounce of hesitation.

“Come on losers.” She says to the group, “We can walk… well hobble if you’re Chris.”

“Thanks, Em.” Chris manages a chuckle.

“Let’s just get out of here.” Emily takes the lead with Sam and Matt just behind.

“Can you walk, Jess?” Mike asks her softly, she’s still in a wheelchair, and the most exhausted of the bunch by far.

“Yeah.” She whispers it, unsure if she actually can or if she’s just trying to be brave. Ashley waits by the automatic door to make sure that Jess and Mike are following; and the gang walks as quickly as they can to the hotel. The cold is sharp, but nothing like it was on that mountain, no wind or altitude to make it vicious and biting. It’s the dark that scares them, the dim street lamps do little to help ease their fears.

The crappy hotel is close enough that when they arrive they’re nowhere near shivering, just holding in their fear of something being out in that darkness. Emily handles the front desk, though all of the employees and others checking in look at the battered teens in an almost sort of awe; or maybe that’s terror, it could be either.

Emily nearly rips the key card out of the concierge’s hand and walks towards the elevator, leaving Matt to apologize for her.

Jess hesitates to enter the elevator, her heart skipping a few beats as her mind takes her back to the fall. _Falling down, down, down._

“Jess and I will take the stairs.” Mike says pushing Jess towards the door to the stairs. Jess doesn’t protest, her heart had suddenly turned to lead, and shit it is tiresome being scared. She wonders when the last time any of them slept, not count being unconscious and it has to been days now. _Fuck this won’t be getting any better Jessica._

The group is waiting outside of their room when the couple reaches them, Em catches Jess’s gaze and the two of them have a conversation without words.

_I’m sorry._

_Me too._

_I was a bitch._

_So was I._

_I love you, bitch._

_I’m glad you’re safe._

“Can we go now?” Ashley asks.

Emily opens the door wordlessly, the room isn’t anything spectacular; two queen beds, a bathroom, a sleeper sofa. Em immediately turns to the bathroom and the shower starts without even a second break between it and the slamming door.

Jess seems to be the only one who was washed up at the hospital so she takes a seat on the bed closest to the window; it feels like heaven beneath her. There’s no snowfall in the city (if you can call it a city), but the winter is still cold and icy; oh and dark as hell but at least help is readily available here. Matt closes the curtains while Sam gets to work pulling out the sleeper sofa. Chris takes a seat on the other bed while Ashley props up his crutches elsewhere.

Mike kneels beside Jess, holding her hand and just admiring the fact that she is alive. Slowly but surely everyone washes off and starts to unwind, or maybe that should be fall apart. Everyone looks tired, but they’re too scared to go to bed, to close their eyes only to be back on that fucking mountain. And it’s all too quiet once the shower is off.

Only the buzz of electricity and heavy breathing as the tired teens try to figure out what to do next. They are so tired, but so scared to sleep. _Fuck it whatever._

“So, we’re all in agreement then?” Jess asks, her voice cracking slightly as she looks at the others.

“On what?” Sam asks.

“Next year’s trip to the Bahamas.” Everyone gives at least a chuckle at that.

“I might be able to convince my parents to let us use the family condo in Hawaii. After this shit I want nothing but beaches and a big city.” Emily says with a chuckle. Jess has a funny feeling this might actually happen, and that she and Em have a lot of catching up to do.

Mike has already started pulling down the covers to the bed, and she insists he sleep on the end. She curls up next to him, pushing herself so close that there’s room for one more person. Ashley climbs up behind her and pulls the blanket up around her chin, covering the other two in the thin but welcome fabric. Mike is quickly drifting away, he must be fucking exhausted, but he still presses his lips firmly to Jess’s forehead and keeps his arms around her.

Matt and Emily are in the other bed, Matt in the middle with Chris on his other side. Jess swears she can hear Matt and Em kissing before they succumb to sleep and fall silent. Sam is already fast asleep on the sofa mattress, snoring before anyone else is anywhere close to settled.

That’s how they fall asleep that night, Jess in Mikes arms, holding Ashley’s hand as tightly as she can. Matt cuddling Emily, back pressed up against Chris’s as if to protect one another, and Sam snoring softly to let them know she’s still breathing. The lights still on and buzzing.

They are alive and somehow they’re okay, for now that is more than enough.


End file.
